Human skin undergoes changes with age due to a variety of internal and external factors. Specifically, with respect to the internal factors, the secretion of various hormones that regulate metabolism is reduced, the function of immunocytes and the activity of cells decline, and thus the biosynthesis of immune proteins and structural proteins that constitute a living body is reduced. With respect to the external factors, as the amount of ultraviolet rays reaching the earth's surface is increasing due to destruction of the ozone layer, and as environmental pollution becomes ever more serious, free radicals and reactive oxygen species increase. As a result, skin thickness decreases, wrinkles increase, skin elasticity decreases, the skin color becomes darker, skin troubles frequently arise, and age spots, freckles and dark spots also increase.
As aging progresses, the content and arrangement of collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid and glycoprotein that constitute the skin are changed or decrease, and oxidative stress occurs due to free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Also, it is known that, as aging progresses or by the action of UV rays, in most cells of the skin, the biosynthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) producing proinflammatory cytokines known to cause inflammation increases, the biosynthesis of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) which degrades skin tissue increases due to these inflammatory factors, and the production of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) increases. In other words, due to intrinsic aging that naturally progresses, the activity of cells is reduced, and the biosynthesis of substrates is reduced due to minute inflammation. In addition, due to external factors such as an increase in stress caused by various harmful pollutants and an increase in reactive oxygen species caused by the sunlight, degradation and denaturation are accelerated, and thus the skin matrix is broken and becomes thinner, while various symptoms of skin aging appear. For this reason, many studies on active ingredients that can prevent and ameliorate such aging phenomena are being conducted.
Meanwhile, it is known that reactive oxygen species which are produced by various physical, chemical and environmental factors, including enzyme systems, reduced metabolites, chemicals, pollutants and photochemical reactions, act as nonselective irreversible destroyers against lipids, proteins, sugar and DNA, which are the structural components of cells, thus causing various diseases, including cell aging and cancer. Also, various peroxides, including lipid peroxides which are produced as a result of lipid peroxidation by these reactive oxygen species, cause oxidative damage to cells, leading to various functional disorders, thus causing various diseases. Accordingly, antioxidants such as free radical scavengers or peroxide production inhibitors can be used as agents for inhibiting or treating aging and various diseases, which are caused by these oxides.
In the present invention, Chrysanthemum indicum var. albescens or Chrysanthemum indicum var. albescens Makino is a variety of Chrysanthemum indicum and has a botanical name of Dendranthema indicum f. albescens, Dendranthema indicum f. albescens (Makino) T. B. Lee, or the like. Generally, studies on Chrysanthemum indicum (yellow Chrysanthemum) have been conducted, but studies on Chrysanthemum indicum var. albescens (white Chrysanthemum) are insufficient, and the effect of Chrysanthemum indicum var. albescens on the skin has not yet been reported.